Many of you have probably seen me promoting my entry for the 5 Pieces Art Contest at Facebook. A few days ago, I entered my painting ‘Capelin Run’ into the online art competition and am amazed by the amount of support which I have received! I have been utilizing my social networking resources to promote my entry – mainly posting at my Facebook profile and page, Twitter, and even creating an event on Facebook.

Some of you may be wondering about 5 Pieces Gallery. 5 Pieces Gallery is an online art gallery based in Berne, Switzerland, representing many established and emerging artists worldwide, some of whom had exhibitions at MOMA, Saatchi Gallery, and other famous galleries.

Print editions and originals can be purchased online through their website. The site also features current and past exhibitions held by 5 Pieces Gallery. The site currently represents more than 134 fine artists located in 34 countries.

Currently, I am in second place with 150 votes. The number one spot, Eduardo Garibi, has 203 votes (these numbers have probably changed).

This does not work on mobile phones, by the way. The art contest, which began on Feb. 17, 2013, ends on Feb. 27, 2013.

Honestly, in some ways I am unsure about the effectiveness of this sort of unjuried art contest. In one way, it is an ‘excuse’ to mass promote a certain artwork in the pursuit of votes. My painting has been seen by many more eyes that it would have been otherwise. I even received a painting commission today because of sharing this contest entry.

In another way, it alienates the many other entrants, who do not have near the number of social networking supporters. In other words, if an artist does not have a lot of contacts and supporters, they do not stand a chance of winning.

Capelin Run - Oil on Canvas, 48x60”, 2012, Graham Matthews

Speaking of winning, are the prizes worth the effort? Here are the prizes for the 5 Pieces Gallery Art contest.

First Prize – Art print by Michael Mararian, signed and numbered. – I would love to own one of his prints.

Second Prize – $40 - 5 Pieces Gallery voucher

Third Prize – $30 - 5 Pieces Gallery voucher

Fourth Prize – $20 - 5 Pieces Gallery voucher

Fifth Prize – $20 - 5 Pieces Gallery voucher

Additionally, if you vote, you have a chance to win a $20 voucher for 5 Pieces Gallery. They are awarding 3 for this contest!

While I love the prizes (especially the first one), the most valuable benefit of this art contest in my opinion is the free promotion. 5 Pieces Art Gallery will show the winners on their Facebook art page of nearly 50,000 art lovers. This of course will be great exposure for the winners.

5 Pieces Art Gallery will be holding another Facebook art contest beginning March 5, 2013, and seems to be committed to holding more in the future. So, if you plan on taking part in one of those, here are some tips to gather those votes.

How to Get Votes for 5 Pieces Gallery Art Contest

Enter early! Enter as soon as the art contest opens to the public. The sooner you enter, the better for obtaining votes.

Share your entry page on your Facebook profile and page, and also at Facebook art groups. Include a message and the link to your entry.

Share at other social networks, such as Twitter, Pinterest and Linkedin.

Write a blog post about the art contest.

Create a Facebook event, and invite your Facebook friends. Include the link to your entry at the top, along with a message.

Use Facebook chat, and message friends in your contact list, and request that they vote for you.

I would to like to give an heartfelt thanks to everyone who voted, and even shared my 5 Pieces Gallery entry. Even if I do not get first place, I will be very satisfied with all the exposure I have received, and very thankful for all the support I have received.

If you haven’t voted yet, and would like to support me in this endeavour, please visit my entry Capelin Run and scroll to the bottom to vote. Many thanks!

@Mike BarrBecause as I mentioned, there are spin-off benefits to this art contest, and promoting the entry. This contest is a perfect way of rallying support of an artist (it's not all about winning) and I now have 2 commissions as a result! :)

Does anyone else have a problem with the contest images loading? I wanted to see what the other images are but they really bogged down in loading so much I gave up. I know if could be my computer but could it also be the size of the files allowed on the page?Otherwise, the competition is a great idea.